A Whole New World
by justanauthorgirl
Summary: What happens when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are led to a whole other continent on their search for horcruxes? Will they find anything helpful in the new place? Will they be welcomed, or will they be shunned? Will they make new friends and allies, or will they make enemies?
1. The Daughter of Hades

**(A/N) Please give feedback! I would love to know what you think of my story. Thanks :)**

* * *

 ** _Hermione_ **

The faces looking at me were a mix of shock, horror, and disbelief. Then there were those few faces of pleasure. Among those were Clarisse, the big girl, Annabeth, the smart one, and a few others who lived in the same cabin as Clarisse. I looked at the glowing sign above my head. I recognized it from a book I'd once read. The sign of Hades, Greek god of the Underworld. But why was it above my head? I had only just arrived earlier today. They had been talking about Greek gods the whole time I'd been there. They were talking about them as if they were real. They even had a cabin for every god at this strange summer camp. They called it Camp Half-Blood. I thought it was strange to use a wizard term for a summer camp name. These people here in America were clearly not wizards, though there was something different about them. I couldn't put my finger on it, which bothered me very much. I hate it when I can't figure out things. I'm usually good at it.

The wise centaur whom I had been speaking to earlier cleared his throat.

"Well. I present to you, Hermione Granger, daughter of Hades," he said. Annabeth smiled smugly from behind him. Ever since I corrected her when I first arrived, she had disliked me. I think she felt intimidated by me. I could tell that she was used to being the smartest around. She was in the Athena cabin, meaning she was the daughter of the wisdom goddess? I didn't know if I believed the whole Greek god stuff. If it were true, I thought I would be the daughter of Athena, not Hades. I could tell Annabeth was glad I wasn't one of her half-siblings, if it were true. I still had doubts.

The faces of the campers remained a little shocked as they knelt before me. It was weird, having people bow in front of me. I glanced at Harry and Ron, who were standing behind the campers. We were all standing around a large bonfire. Ron only shrugged, and Harry gave me a sympathetic look. We had had no idea we'd end up where we were the evening before…

We were already planning on not going to Hogwarts for our 7th year. We were going to look for horcruxes in order to find a way to defeat Voldemort. Harry and I were at the Weasley's house, preparing for Bill Weasley and Fleur's wedding. It was a very lovely wedding, until it wasn't. Just before the Death Eaters came, we were warned that the Minister of Magic was dead. Harry, Ron, and I apparated to a dark alleyway. Turns out, we apparated to a different continent. I had never been to America before, so I didn't know why I took us there. It must have been something in my subconscious. We looked around frantically. Luckily, no Death Eaters had traced us yet. I quickly reached into my bag, which I had put an extension charm on, and pulled out some clothes. We changed into more suitable clothes and started walking.

"Where are we, Hermione?" Ron had asked.

"I... don't know," I had responded quietly. "It's strange. Can one subconsciously choose a place to apparate to?"

"Don't ask us. You're the smart one," Ron said. Harry nodded in agreement. I had rolled my eyes. We walked into a restaurant that had a sign that announced it was open 24/7. It was pretty full. Harry, Ron, and I took a seat in a small booth. I had glanced at the clock on the wall. It had read: 6:13. That was weird. It had just been 11:50 p.m. at the wedding. I was certain it wasn't 6 o'clock in morning, so it must've been 6 in the evening.

"Did we go back in time?" Harry asked.

"Not that I'm aware," I replied. "We must have apparated into a different time zone. I suppose you could say we went back in time."

"Where are we then?" Ron demanded. Before I was able to respond, a waiter approached the table. She spoke in an American accent.

"What can I get for you?" she asked. Ron and Harry didn't speak.

"Can we have a moment to look over the menu?" I said.

"Of course," she had smiled. Harry, Ron, and I decided to go with sandwiches.

"They'll be out in just a moment." The waiter walked away.

"Are we in America?" Harry asked.

"It would appear so. When she returns, I'll ask her where we are," I said.

"And she won't find that odd?" Ron questioned.

"I'm sure she's heard stranger things, Ron," Harry said. When the waiter returned, I opened my mouth to speak.

"Excuse me, but would you mind telling us where exactly we are?"

"Long Island, New York, of course!" she had told us. "You guys new around here?"

"Yes, we are," Harry said. "Thank you."

"No problem." She walked away.

"New York? Blimey Hermione!" Ron whispered. "How'd that happen?"

"I don't know. Oh, I hate not knowing," I had said. After we ate, we made a plan on what to do.

"Where are we going to spend the night?" Ron asked.

"Let's have a look around," I suggested.

"Um, Hermione," Harry had said.

"What?"

"How are we going to pay for this?" he asked.

"Merlin's pants. I didn't think of that. I have muggle money, but I don't know if it'll work in America."

"What're we going to do?" Ron asked.

"Let me think, let me think. Oh, come on Hermione. So stupid!" I had said. Before I thought of what we could do, three men walked in. They hid their faces from us as they sat in a booth near us.

"That looks suspicious," Ron whispered. The three of us glanced at the men, who were also talking in hushed tones. Harry caught a glimpse of one of their faces.

"Death Eaters," he said quietly. "We have to get out of here."

"Without paying?" I had asked.

"Hermione, there are too many muggles and innocents in here. We have to lead the Death Eaters away. It's not safe," Harry told me.

"Oh all right. But I'm leaving a few pounds. I don't know if it will be of much use, but at least we're paying." I had left the money on the table as we quietly exited. I hoped the waiter didn't see us. As we went out the door, the Death Eaters stood up. They had followed us outside. We sped up.

"Where are we going?" Ron asked.

"Follow me," Harry had said.

"But where, Harry?" I asked.

"I have this gut feeling that we need to go this way. Do you have a better idea?"

"No," I sighed and followed Harry. I had glanced behind us. The Death Eaters were gaining.

"They're coming faster," I warned. "Harry, apparate us to wherever your gut is telling you to go." The three of us grabbed hands and there was a pop, and we were gone.


	2. Surprises and Explanations

**(A/N) My updates might not be consistent because of school and stuff. I'm sorry :( I will try to update often.**

* * *

 _ **Hermione**_

There was a searing pain throughout my whole body. I couldn't feel anything besides that. I tried to scream, but the pain was too much. I had tried to open up my eyes, but I couldn't do that either. I had felt cold drops on my skin, and then I felt nothing.

"Is she going to be okay? Harry, please say she'll be alright," I had heard Ron say.

"I hope so. Essence of Dittany normally works for people who are splinched," Harry had told him. I had cracked open my eyes to see a canopy of trees above me. I had been laying on a bed of leaves on the ground. I had tried to sit up, but then the pain came back. I had gasped and Harry and Ron rushed over to be.

"Hermione!" they'd both exclaimed. Ron knelt down next to me.

"Are you alright?" he had asked, clearly very worried. I had nodded slowly.

"What happened?" I managed to get out.

"Harry apparated us here, but you were splinched."

"Luckily for you, Ron remembered Essence of Dittany and how it cures splinched people," Harry had added. I smiled softly. Ron had helped my sit up and lean against a rock. I had shifted a little bit and felt sharp pain in my side. There was blood on my shirt. I felt my side and winced.

"It should be better soon, right?" Ron asked. I had nodded.

"Where are we?" I questioned.

"In a forest," Harry stated.

"Really? I had no idea?" I said sarcastically. "Are we still in New York?"

"I think so," Harry said. "I suppose it would still be dark in England right now. It's probably 2 in the morning there."

"Is it safe to spend the night out here?" Ron asked.

"You guys haven't put up any charms yet?" I was shocked. Despite the pain, I had stood up. I walked around the perimeter of the clearing we were in, whispering protection charms.

"There. Now no one can see us or hear us. Hopefully that'll work for tonight."

"You really are brilliant Hermione," Ron had told me. I smiled.

"Are we just going to sleep on the ground?" he asked later.

"Hand me my bag," I ordered. He did. I dug through it and eventually pulled out a square of fabric, which had popped up into a small tent.

"Is there room?" Harry had asked before he remembered the summer before our 4th year at Hogwarts.

"Did you borrow my dad's tent?" Ron questioned. I nodded. The inside of the tent was quite large, and had plenty of room for us.

"You should rest, Hermione," Harry had told me. "You too, Ron. I'll keep watch." Ron plopped down on a top bunk, and I took another bunk. I had quickly drifted off, and had no dreams at all.

My side was hurting in the morning. The sharp pain had vanished, but a constant ache lingered. While Ron and Harry were in the tent's small kitchen, I looked at my wound. Ron and Harry had bandaged it before I had lost too much blood. I had slowly peeled off the bandage and looked at the wide scars. I put some more Dittany and fresh bandages on it, hoping the pain could be bearable. I didn't want to become a burden for Harry and Ron. I had joined the in kitchen as they brought out some food.

"Is this food safe to eat?" Ron had asked me. I nodded.

"I restocked it before we left," I had told him. He was already digging in.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked through his food.

"A bit," I had assured him. I sat down next to Harry and ate some food.

"Which direction does your gut say we should go?" I had asked Harry.

"I dunno. Let's see." We put away the food and folded up the tent. I had stuffed it into my bag and we undid the charms.

"This way." Harry had pointed one direction into the trees. We started off. We had walked in silence most of the way. Eventually, we reached the top of a hill and looked down across a valley. We were standing near a large pine tree. There seemed to be a golden blanket at the base of the tree, and there was a coil of scales wrapped around it. The scales moved and I shuddered.

"It's a dragon," I whispered to Harry and Ron. The dragon had appeared to be sleeping. We had looked past it into the valley. In the valley, there was what looked like a sort of summer camp. It looked like it was Greek mythology themed. There were many cabins, each one representing a… different Greek god? It was odd. There was also a large blue mansion, a strawberry field, a dining pavilion, a rock wall that spewed lava, a pit where two people were fighting with swords, and a few other buildings. Why would there be a summer camp where kids were trained to fight? There were many kids ranging from around six or seven, to about seventeen or eighteen. I had spotted an archery range as well.

"Should we go in?" Harry had asked. I shrugged.

"Do we have a better place to go?" Ron questioned. Harry and I shook our heads.

"Let's go then!" Ron had exclaimed. We had stepped forward. I'd walked through just fine, but something stopped Harry and Ron.

"What're you waiting for? Come on. Just walk forward," I had ordered. They did again, and this time nothing stopped them.

"That was weird," Ron noted. We made our way down the hill into the camp. Kids stopped what they were doing when we passed them. They looked at us strangely, but no one said a word, until a girl stepped forward. She had curly blonde hair and stormy grey eyes. She looked about our age.

"Who are you?" she had demanded.

"I'm Harry, this is Ron and Hermione," Harry introduced.

"What are you doing here, and where are you from?" Harry opened his mouth again, but I stopped him before he could speak.

"Who runs this camp?" I had questioned. I didn't think it wise to tell a stranger everything about us.

"Why do you ask?" the girl had retorted. We had a silent stare down. Harry, sensing trouble, said,

"We need to speak to the director of the camp. We were led here and we need to find out why." The girl looked at him and sized him up.

"Follow me," she said after a minute. She had ordered the other kids back to what they were doing and marched off toward the blue mansion.

"Be careful, Hermione," Ron had warned. I hadn't responded.

"Mr. D," the girl had called into the house when we arrived. A round man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and holding a coke can walked out.

"What?" he had barked.

"These three people showed up a few minutes ago," the girl announced.

"What am I supposed to do?" Mr. D demanded.

"Get Chiron," the girl said. Mr. D rolled his eyes and yelled,

"Chiron! Get out here!" After a few seconds, a middle-aged man in a wheelchair appeared behind him.

"Yes?" he had asked before he saw us.

"New campers?" he asked the girl. She shook her head.

"Why don't you guys come into the Big House," he invited and gestured inside. Harry, Ron, and I followed him and the girl inside. We entered a room and sat down in arm chairs.

"Thank you, Annabeth," Chiron said to the girl. She was reluctant to leave.

"I will talk to you later," he had said. She sighed and left.

"My name is Chiron. Who are you three? What business do you have at this camp?"

"I'm Hermione Granger."

"Ron Weasley."

"I'm Harry Potter."

"We were, um, lead here, I guess," I began.

"We are on a... quest you could say," Harry continued.

"A quest?" Chiron perked up.

"Who sent you on this quest and why?" he asked.

"Our old -" Harry's voice broke. "Our old headmaster. We are finishing something he started," Harry finished.

"Is it all right if I ask what you are finishing? You can trust me. Whatever you say stays here, unless the lives of people are in danger, or you give me permission to speak about it." Harry had glanced at me before beginning to speak.

"We attend a school in England. A special school for people like us. We're wizards." Harry had paused to see Chiron's reaction. Chiron didn't look shocked at all, so Harry continued.

"There's this really powerful, dark wizard named Voldemort. He killed my parents when I was one, and he sees me as a threat."

"Voldemort tried to kill Harry when he was a baby, but he couldn't," I said.

"Show him your scar, Harry," Ron said. Harry hesitantly lifted up his bangs, revealing the lightning shaped scar on his forehead.

"The killing curse he cast rebounded. He was alive, but barely that," Harry explained. "You see, he used these things called horcruxes in hopes of being immortal. Horcruxes tie part of your soul to an object, so that if you are killed, you can remain alive. In order to create a horcrux, you have to kill a person."

"Voldemort, being an overachiever, created six horcruxes," Ron added.

"Our headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was the only wizard Voldemort ever feared," I said. "Dumbledore had been searching for Voldemort's horcruxes when he… when he died last year."

"And we're on a mission to finish what he started, and hopefully to defeat Voldemort," Harry said.

"I see. So how did you get to America?" Chiron had asked.

"We disapparated, meaning we disappear from one place, and apparated in another," I explained. "It's a way of traveling in the wizarding world. Though I'm not sure why we ended up here. When one apparates, they have to think of and picture the location they are going to. I've never been to America before, and I didn't even think of it. The image of the dark alley we appeared in just popped into my mind."

"Harry, would you mind giving me some background information on your parents? They were wizards too, I presume?"

"Yes, sir," Harry replied. "They were both very good wizards. They were in this… organization to fight Voldemort the first time he was powerful. Those were extremely dark days, I've heard. Voldemort was a very powerful, so no one could believe that he disappeared because of me. I couldn't believe it when I first heard it.

"My parents met at Hogwarts, our school, and married soon after they left. Because of this prophecy, Voldemort came after my parents and me when I was one. My dad tried to give my mom and me a chance to escape, but Voldemort killed him quickly. My mom, she — she put herself in front of me to save me. When Voldemort tried to use the killing curse, it rebounded, like I said."

"Would one of you like to explain your school to me?" Chiron asked. Harry and Ron had both looked at me.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was founded around the 10th century, by two great wizards and two great witches. They were Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff. Each of them had their own ideas about whom should be let into the school. Slytherin thought that only wizards and witches of the purest blood should attend Hogwarts, while Gryffindor thought that the brave of heart should be allowed in. Ravenclaw felt that only the wise should be students there, and Hufflepuff wanted to accept any wizard or witch. Thus the four Houses of Hogwarts were born. They were named after each founder: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Each witch or wizard who attends Hogwarts is sorted into a House at the beginning of their first year. There are seven years at Hogwarts. Those who are in first year, are around eleven, and those in seventh, around seventeen. Harry, Ron, and I are in Gryffindor, as were Harry's parents. You must know that most dark wizards were in Slytherin, but that doesn't mean all Slytherins are bad," I had explained. "Do you wish to know any more?"

"No, I think that's enough for now. Though I do have one question. How did you there get into the camp?"

"We just — er— sort of walked in," I had said.

"Did any of you have… trouble getting in?" Chiron questioned.

"Ron and Harry did at first, but then they walked right in," I told Chiron. He had nodded slowly.

"I'm sure you have some questions yourself," he said.

"Yes," I had said before Harry or Ron could speak. "First of all, I've read all about Greek mythology. Your name is Chiron, after the centaur?" When I'd asked that, Chiron smiled slightly.

"Chiron, the son of Kronos and Phia," a voice said from behind us. We turned around and saw the blonde girl, Annabeth, standing next to a tall boy with black hair and sea green eyes.

"Kronos and Philyra, actually," I had corrected. Annabeth's face turned pink. Chiron's smile turned slightly worried. Annabeth was obviously very intelligent, and I had just corrected her. I couldn't help but feel slightly happy with myself.

"What is it Annabeth?" Chiron had asked her. After glaring at me, she looked at Chiron.

"It's time for lunch," she told him. "We were just going to let you know." The boy beside her had looked slightly scared when I corrected her. He glanced at Harry, Ron, and me curiously. I could tell he was trying hard to figure out what was going on.

"Okay, thank you. We'll be down in a moment," Chiron said. "Please go on without me." Annabeth turned around and left. The boy hesitated in the doorway.

"I'll talk to you later, Percy," Chiron told him. Percy nodded and left.

"That was Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson. They recently fought in a war. If they seem a bit shaken up, give them some grace," Chiron requested. "Where were we?"

"Hermione was just talking about your namesake," Harry had said.

"Right. I don't know if this will be hard for you to believe or not, but I don't just share the same name as the centaur." Chiron slowly stepped out of his wheelchair, but instead of having human legs, he had a horse's body below his torso. He stooped his head in order to not bump his head on the ceiling. "I am the centaur." We were only shocked for a moment because we'd definitely seen stranger things.

"I take it you are familiar with centaurs?" he asked. We had nodded. "Okay. That will make explanations easier on my part. I am Chiron the centaur. I train demigods."

"Demigods?" Ron questioned.

"You know a little bit about Greek mythology, correct?"

"Hermione does. We don't," Harry told the centaur, who smiled.

"Have you heard about the Greek gods at all?"

"I've heard the term 'Greek gods' and that's about it," Ron admitted.

"Okay," Chiron said. "The Ancient Greek civilization worshiped these gods. Each god had a purpose. For example, Zeus was the god of the sky, Poseidon the god of the sea, and so on. These gods often had children with mortals, thus creating demigods. Demigods have certain powers of their godly parent. I have trained many, many demigods in my years. That is what this camp is. Here at Camp Half-Blood, demigods train and prepare themselves to fight monsters."

"Are you saying that the Greek gods exist and have children with mortals?" I asked. Chiron nodded. Before I could actually take in the information, Chiron invited us to come eat lunch in the dining pavilion. I was reluctant, but the growling in our stomachs convinced me to oblige.

We followed Chiron out of the Big House and up a path to the dining pavilion. There were many rectangular tables filled with campers. Some were near empty, and some were completely packed. I figured that they each represented a cabin. The pavilion went silent as the campers saw us.

"Carry on, carry on," Chiron ordered. After looking us over, the campers returned to their meals. Chiron told us to sit at the head table with Mr. D and him. The food served to us was delicious, but not as good as the food at Hogwarts. The campers did something strange before eating their food. They carried their plates to this altar-type thing and put a portion of it into the fire. They said a few words and returned to their seats. I was too hungry to bring it up with Harry and Ron.

Chiron told Harry, Ron, and me to wait near the dining pavilion after we finished. He left us to quickly take care of something. Harry, Ron, and I sat awkwardly on a bench, awaiting the centaur's return.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" a husky voice taunted behind us.


	3. Conflicts Arise

**(A/N) Happy new year! Thanks for reading this. Please please please review**

* * *

 ** _Annabeth_**

I watched as Clarisse and her gang approached the British know-it-all and her sidekicks. I stood far enough away that they couldn't see me, but I could still see them.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Clarisse sneered. The girl, Hermione, straightened up. She had obviously had her fair share of bullies. I debated whether or not to step in. I decided against it. At Camp Half-Blood, you're going to have to be able to defend yourself. I leaned up against a tree and observed.

"I'm Hermione. This is Harry and Ron. What do you want?" the girl demanded. She was pretty tough. I'll give her that.

"What do we want?" Clarisse chuckled. "We should be asking you that question. What are you three Brits doing at our camp?"

"I'm afraid that's none of you business," Hermione replied confidently.

"None of my business, you say?"

"Congratulations. You have ears," Hermione said. Clarisse didn't like that comment very much. Hermione's friends looked a little frightened for her. I didn't know if it was Clarisse or Hermione they were scared for.

"What are you guys doing here?" Clarisse demanded again.

"We are waiting for Chiron, that's what," the red-head boy spat.

"Oh they can talk?" Clarisse jeered. The three Brits glared fiercely at Clarisse. They were clearly very close, and had had to defend each other before.

"Oh, sorry," Clarisse began sarcastically, "I was beginning to think that the girl was the only one who could speak."

"Look," the other boy said, "we've had experience with people like you—"

"People like me? What exactly are people like me?"

"Bullies," he told her.

"Intimidators," the red-head, Ron, said.

"Persecutors, oppressors, tyrants," Hermione finished. Clarisse was shocked for only a moment.

"Well—" she started.

"People like you don't get very far with forcing others into submission," the boy interrupted. I think his name was Harry. "You try to intimidate people."

"It sometimes works," Ron admitted.

"But it won't help you accomplish anything," Hermione said.

"It may appear to, but in the end, it's not going to work," Harry finished. I was a little impressed with their bravery, but they annoyed me. Clarisse was lost for words. One of her siblings whispered something to her.

"You guys can't come in and talk to me like that!" Clarisse scolded.

"But you can come over and attempt to push us around?" Ron retorted.

"Whatcha doing?" a voice asked behind me. I turned to see Percy, Piper, and Jason.

"Listening," I responded.

"Eavesdropping?" Percy grinned. I rolled my eyes.

"Something about those three seems off. I don't know what it is, but I don't like it," I told my friends. Percy put his arm around me.

"I'm sure we'll figure it out," he assured me. "We always do."

"What's going on over there?" Piper asked.

"Clarisse is trying to do her normal 'Initiation to Camp' ritual."

"I remember that," Percy said."That was the day I became Supreme Lord of the Bathroom." I laughed.

"What's she trying to do to them?" Jason inquired.

"Intimidate them." I shrugged.

"Is it working?" Percy asked. I shook my head.

"They seem pretty tough," I added.

"Should we step in?" Jason asked.

"I'm not going to," I stated. "I think they should handle it themselves." Piper and Jason glanced at each other.

"What?" I demanded.

"Nothing," Jason said. He took Piper's hand. He and Piper left to have some alone time. I crossed my arms and tuned back into the conversation between Clarisse and the trio of strangers.

"You three are going to regret this," Clarisse warned.

"We'll see about that," Harry countered. Clarisse glared at them and left with her posse following. I heard Ron mutter "She's like a female Malfoy." Harry and Hermione agreed. I looked up at Percy, who was still standing by my side.

"Are you going to hold a grudge against someone you haven't met just because she corrected you once?" he asked. I sighed.

"I told you my fatal flaw was pride. I can't really help it," I admitted.

"You can try." I didn't answer him. I didn't want to move on until I proved that I was smarter than this stranger. She carried herself like she was smarter than everyone she met. Her confidence was frustrating. I hoped she was not a daughter of Athena. Then I'd have to deal with her annoyance daily. But if she didn't end up being a daughter of Athena, that would mean that she was just naturally intelligent. That might be even more annoying. Whoever her godly parent was, if she had one, I was still going to try to prove myself to be smarter.

"You've got that look," Percy told me.

"What look?"

"The look you get when you're planning something. What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," I lied.

"Come on. I don't think there's ever a time where Annabeth Chase isn't thinking." I rolled my eyes.

"Should we talk to the newbies?" Percy asked. I shrugged. He took that as a yes and walked over to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I followed reluctantly. I had no interest in speaking to a know-it-all at the moment.

"Hi. My name is Percy Jackson," Percy introduced. I stood beside him without speaking.

"Hello," Harry said cheerfully. "I'm Harry Potter. These are my friends." He gestured to the other two.

"Ron Weasley."

"I'm Hermione Granger." She glanced at my when she spoke. "We've already met her. Annabeth, right?" I nodded. Even her voiced sounded stuck-up. I looked over the trio, trying to decide what to make of them. Harry Potter had messy black hair and emerald green eyes. Without the glasses, he'd look pretty similar to Percy. Percy's eyes were far better, though. Ron had red hair and blueish eyes. He stood next to Hermione, and looked very protective over her. I wondered what was going on between them. They'd obviously been close friends for a while. Hermione had curly brown hair and brown eyes. She was quite pretty. I looked at Ron again. I decided that he was used to being overlooked. He probably came from a poor family, and he probably had a lot of siblings. He also wasn't as popular as his friend, Harry. Harry appeared to be one who received a lot of unwanted attention. Hermione wasn't popular, but it was noticeable that she didn't care. I grudgingly admitted to myself that I was similar. I was made fun of at my school for being smart and studious. Most of the time, I didn't care. But sometimes it got to me.

"What are you guys doing at Camp Half-Blood?" Percy asked them.

"We don't exactly know," Ron told him.

"We're waiting for Chiron to come back," Hermione said. They were acting very secretive. I wish I could figure out what was going on and what they were! Before any more awkward conversation could occur, Chiron came galloping toward us.

"Hello Percy, Annabeth," he said. "How kind of you to talk to our guests. I need to speak to them in the Big House for a little while, if you don't mind."

"Go right ahead," I said. Chiron walked away, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed.

"They're not that bad," Percy told me.

"Something is definitely off about them. Ugh!" I exclaimed. "I wish I could figure it out." Percy tried telling me again that we would figure it out. I didn't respond. Maybe they were children of other gods, like my cousin Magnus. Maybe they were just demigods who somehow survived on their own? Were there demigods in England?

Percy grabbed my hand. I looked up at him.

"I know you're frustrated, Wise Girl. We will figure this out, okay? They don't call you Wise Girl for nothing." I smiled and leaned against his chest. He hugged me and then said that we should get to training. We walked down from the Dining Pavilion to the arena. As we walked, he put his arm around my shoulders. Percy had to go to Monster Assault Techniques with the Hermes cabin, while I had sword-fighting. Luckily, and not luckily at the same time, the Aphrodite cabin would be practicing sword-fighting with us. I was glad for that because Piper was a daughter of Aphrodite, but her siblings weren't as easy to get along with as she was. Most of them only cared about beauty and their appearance. They were kind of wimps in the battlefield. Not all of them, but a lot of them were. It was infuriating when we needed to really practice, because they never tried. At least I generally got to pair up with Piper.

Piper was getting ready for practice when I approached her. She looked up and smiled at me. I had a good practice with her, unlike most of my siblings who were paired with Aphrodite kids.

When we finished, it was 2:00. From 2-4, we had free choice. We could do the lava wall, canoe races, or arts & crafts. Piper and I decided to start with the climbing wall.

As we were racing up the wall trying to not get burnt, I spotted something peculiar. Hermione was standing outside the Big House waving a stick around. Her companions weren't in sight. She just stood there holding this stick that was less than a foot long. I saw her mouth moving, but I couldn't tell what she was saying. I stayed at the top of the wall, trying to figure out what was going on. I heard someone yell my name, and I was jolted out of my thoughts just in time to see lava spew out of the wall. I was knocked off the wall from the force, and I fell to the ground. I let out a scream of pain, but quickly shut my mouth. I didn't want to be seen as weak.

"Annabeth!" Piper was immediately by my side. "Get some nectar! Quickly!" she ordered someone. I was tempted to get up and go get some myself because of the heavy charmspeak in her words.

"Annabeth. Are you okay? Can you hear me?" Piper asked. I managed to nod. It shouldn't have been this painful. I'd been through Tartarus for crying out loud! If only I hadn't been at the top of the wall. My arms burned and stung. My back ached and my head hurt. I closed my eyes and tried not to focus on the pain. I'd always been good at the climbing wall. Never had I ever fallen off. Why'd I have to get distracted?

"Hey, Annabeth," Piper said soothingly, "I have some nectar. Here you go." I cracked open my eyes to see a ring of people surrounding me. Great. I had to fall off the wall with a bunch of people watching. I was humiliated and in pain.

"Open your mouth," Piper commanded. I obeyed and she poured nectar down my throat. Right then, it tasted like Percy's mom's cookies. The pain in my head, back, and arms, slowly subsided. I closed my eyes for a moment. I heard Piper tell everyone else to go back to their activities, which I was extremely grateful for.

"You okay now?" Piper asked. I nodded and opened my eyes. I saw the concern in my friend's face as she helped me sit up. "What happened? You've always been good at the wall."

"I don't know. I was distracted," I admitted. "I saw that Hermione girl waving a small stick by the Big House. I got lost in thought and forgot where I was. Ugh, why did everyone have to be watching?"

"It's fine, Annabeth. We all mess up," Piper assured me. She stood up and held out her hand. I grabbed it, and she gently pulled me up.

"Thanks."

"No problem. That's what friends are for." Piper smiled. I grinned back at her. Piper and I were about to join Jason and Percy at the lake when we heard a shriek by the Big House.


	4. The Hades Cabin

**Sorry it took a while. I've been busy and I'm reading a really good fanfiction.**

* * *

 _ **Hermione**_

I was outside the Big House, having just summoned my bag with my wand, when he appeared. I didn't hear a pop, so he couldn't have apparated. He just appeared right behind me. It almost seemed like he came out of the shadows.

I felt someone's presence behind me. I turned and shrieked at the boy who had appeared.

"Where'd you come from?" I demanded. He only stared at me. He had dark hair and dark eyes. He was wearing black jeans and a black aviator jacket.

"Where did you come from?" I repeated firmly.

"Who are you?" he asked instead of responding.

"My name is Hermione. Who are you?"

"Nico di Angelo. Why are you at camp?" I didn't reply. I crossed my arms and stared at him. He looked a few years younger than me, and he had a skull ring on his finger. I glanced past him to see Annabeth and another girl running towards us. The other girl had choppy, uneven brown hair. Strands of it were braided on the sides. She looked around Annabeth's age.

"What's going on?" Annabeth asked when they reached us.

"Nothing. Nico just surprised me," I said. Annabeth glanced at the girl.

"What were you doing out here?" she questioned.

"Does that really matter?" I retorted. She glared at me. The other girl sensed trouble and spoke up.

"My name is Piper Mclean. I'm Annabeth's friend. Please tell us what you're doing out here?" She spoke so calmly and sweetly, that I was tempted to tell them everything. Luckily, I came to my senses before that. She was obviously using some sort of magic against me. I couldn't figure out what it was, but I didn't like it.

"I'm sorry," I told her. "I need to get back inside to speak with Chiron." I looked at Nico before going inside. He had been watching me to see if I would give in to Piper's magic.

Harry and Ron were listening intently to whatever Chiron was telling them. Before I had gone outside, Chiron told us that he had heard of the wizarding world before. He was aware of Voldemort's power. He knew of a school of magic in America, but didn't know about Hogwarts. He had asked a few more questions about magic before I left to get summon my bag, which I had lost at one point yesterday. It was a bit annoying that he asked so many questions about us, but didn't answer very many that we asked him.

When I entered the room, I heard Chiron say, "Hercules, yes. He was very real indeed. Hello, Hermione." He nodded at me.

"I was just telling your friends some Greek stories," he informed me before continuing. I already knew the story of Hercules, so I didn't pay much attention to him. Instead, I went over everything that had happened in my head. Were there actually Greek gods? Were they really still around. How had Nico appeared behind me? What kind of magic was Piper using? Why were we even here?

I was pulled from my thoughts by someone saying my name repeatedly.

"Yes?" I asked.

"It's time for dinner," Chiron told me kindly.

"Already?" He nodded. Harry and Ron were already out of the room. I stood up and walked back to the dining pavilion with Chiron in silence.

Dinner passed without anything interesting happening. Harry, Ron, and I got stares from the other campers of course, but no one spoke to us. We hardly even said anything to each other. We just sat uncomfortably at the table next to Chiron.

It was after dinner that something actually occurred. We were at a campfire that took place every night apparently. Harry and Ron stood behind all the other campers, but I stood by Chiron. I was hoping to get more answers. Some campers led songs and the rest sung along. The fire itself was obviously magic, seeing as it changed along with the mood of the campers. I could tell that much.

The campfire seemed to be wrapping up when everything went silent and all eyes focused on me. It was then that Chiron spoke.

"Well. I present to you, Hermione Granger, the daughter of Hades." The campers knelt before me grudgingly. I spotted the boy who had appeared behind me earlier in the shadows. He was watching me with a weird expression on his face. He was trying to figure something out.

The sign above my head disappeared and the campers rose. They watched me apprehensively. I glanced at Chiron. He was also attempting to work something out in his head.

The campers gradually left to return to their cabins. Soon, the only people left were Annabeth, Percy, Nico, Harry, Ron, Chiron, and me.

"Tomorrow," Chiron broke the awkward silence, "you three will be given a proper tour of the camp. For now, you should get some sleep. You guys look like you need it."

"Where will we be sleeping?" Harry asked.

"Hermione will be sleeping in the Hades cabin, and you two may sleep in the Big House. Normally, new campers who haven't been claimed yet stay in the Hermes cabin, but I think you should come to the Big House."

"Do I have to sleep in the Hades cabin?" I questioned cautiously. "I still have questions. How can I be Hades's daughter? What about my mum and dad?" I hesitated at the painful memory of my parents, but then continued. "You'd think my mum would mention that dad wasn't my biological father! Hades is the god of the dead. Wouldn't that make me dark and evil?" I demanded. Nico looked offended.

"No," he said quietly. "Hades is often misinterpreted as being a dark, brooding, evil god. In reality, he just happened to be given authority over the Underworld." I assumed Nico was a son of Hades. This was all mind-boggling. This stranger… related to me? Even weirder, we shared the same dad who happened to be a Greek god?

"Wouldn't I have shown signs of being a… demigod?" I asked.

"Yes. But because of your," Chiron hesitated, "background, your signs of being a demigod might have clashed with other things." I was still shocked, not to mention exhausted, but I wanted answers before I could sleep. I opened my mouth, but Chiron held up a hand to stop me.

"I can explain things in further detail tomorrow. Now, sleep." I reluctantly gave in. Annabeth and Percy had been so quiet I forgot they were there. They glanced at each other, and then at Chiron. They seemed to have some sort of unspoken conversation.

"Miss Granger, go with Nico. Harry, Ron, follow me. Good night, Percy, Annabeth."

"Night, Chiron," Annabeth and Percy replied in unison before heading towards their respective cabins. I threw a worried glance at Harry and Ron before following Nico.

"If you haven't realized, I'm your brother of sorts," Nico told me as we walked.

"I gathered," I said. Nico stopped at a dark cabin. He glanced at me before opening the door. A skull hung over the doorway. I shivered, appalled that I was related to the god of the Underworld. Torches lined the walls, burning with green flames. There were a few beds, each one identical. They were shaped like coffins and had blood red sheets. I shivered again. How would I sleep in a bed like that?

"Definitely not dark and evil," I muttered under my breath. Nico glared at me, though I saw a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"He's still the god of the Underworld," he pointed out. "I was just saying that he has a good side. Not all his children are evil." Nico flopped down on the one bed that looked somewhat used. I picked out a bed on the other side of the room.

"Like privacy?" Nico guessed. I nodded as I sat down on the edge of the bed. I couldn't help but think about Voldemort in a room like this. It was unnerving. Nico had changed into pajamas and pulled his blankets on top of him. I sensed that he wouldn't fall asleep for a while though. I still had my wand with me, and I had my bag. I pulled out some pajamas and changed quickly. It was a chilly in the Hades Cabin. I slipped under my blankets, which felt surprisingly warm, given the state of the rest of the room. I watched the green fire in the torches. It was actually soothing. I somehow slipped into a dreamless, yet oddly peaceful, sleep.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I was confused by my surroundings. It took me a moment to remember where I was and why. Oh. Hades. He was my father… Nico was my brother. I was sleeping in a coffin. I sat up and checked my watch, before I remembered it was still on England time. I looked around at the room to see if there was a clock. Luckily, I spotted one on the back wall. It was black and had a skull on it. It read 6:23. I glanced at Nico's bed and saw that it was empty. Early riser. I guess I'm an early riser too. Maybe Nico just didn't want to deal with all my questions, so he left early.

I stood up, straightened my sheets, and made my bed. I noticed some clothes folded in a neat stack at the end of my bed. There was an orange t-shirt that said 'Camp Half-Blood', and a pair of jeans. There were also some sneakers, but I prefered my boots. I didn't know if I wanted to put on the camp shirt. That would be signifying that I am a part of it. I decided I'd wear it today, just to give it a chance. I change into my jeans and camp t-shirt, and then pulled on my boots. I looked around the cabin to see if there was a bathroom anywhere. I found one in the back. The door was hidden in the shadows.

The bathroom wasn't very different from the rest of the cabin. It was dark, lit by the green torches. The sink was obsidian, just the cabin. There was a small shower and a toilet. The mirror was also dark, but one was still able to see their reflection. My hair looked hopeless. I hadn't brushed it since before the wedding. I reached into my bag and found my hairbrush. After attempting to brush out my curly hair, I pulled it into a ponytail. I quickly brushed my teeth and left the bathroom. I left my bag on my bed, but I kept my wand with me. I slid it into my boot, even though it might not have been the most comfortable. I was used to it.

I left the cabin at 6:40. There were only a few people outside already. A girl with dark skin and curly hair was talking to Nico by the archery range. I hadn't seen her yesterday, but I hadn't been paying much attention either. I decided to go to the Big House to see if Harry and Ron were up.

"Hermione!" Nico called when I passed him. He waved me over, so I approached him.  
"This is Hazel. She's the daughter of Pluto, the-"

"Roman form of Hades, I know," I interrupted. I smiled at Hazel.

"I'm Hermione. Apparently I'm the… daughter of Hades," I introduced and held out my hand. Hazel shook my hand and smiled. She looked a few years younger than me, maybe fourteen? She had gold eyes that kind of surprised me.

"Hazel just got here. She was at another camp," Nico explained.

"There's another one of these?" I asked. Hazel and Nico nodded.

"This one is for Greek demigods. Camp Jupiter is for Roman demigods," Hazel informed me. I told them I had to go to the Big House to talk to Harry and Ron and left.

I opened the door to the Big House. There was no sound in there except for a muffled talking. I passed a room with the door cracked open. I could see Chiron's back. He was in his wheelchair. He was speaking to someone, but I didn't see anyone else in the room. I shrugged and continued through the house. Eventually, I found the room where one of my friends had slept. Harry and Ron were sitting in there on the edge of a bed. I pushed open the door and stepped inside.

"Hermione!" Ron and Harry exclaimed in unison. They stood up quickly and rushed toward me.

"Are you okay?" Ron demanded. I nodded.

"I actually got a good night sleep," I admitted. That was something I didn't think would happen on this quest. "What about you two?"

"Couldn't sleep," Harry said. "We sat in here all night."

"I'm sorry," I told them. We sat down on the bed again. "What do you guys think about this Greek god stuff?" I asked. Harry and Ron glanced at each other.

"It can't be much harder to believe than magic. At first, I had doubts about being a wizard," Harry said.

"Yeah, but this?" I said. "It seems a little farfetched.

"I bet these, what was that word again?" Ron said.

"Demigods," I told him.

"I bet these demigods would say the same about us being wizards," he reasoned. I couldn't disagree with that.

"But how could I be the daughter of Hades? What about my parents?" I demanded. Harry and Ron shrugged.

"Maybe it was painful and they didn't want to bring it up," Harry suggested.

"Maybe your mum didn't know he was Hades. I bet she didn't," Ron said. I sighed deeply.

"Now there's no way," my voice broke, but I took a deep breath and continued, "that I'll be able to ask them. They don't remember me, and I'll have to track them down after this war." Harry put a comforting arm around my shoulders.

"We'll figure all of this out," Harry promised.

"What are the Hades cabins like?" Ron asked after a minute of silence.

"Black. Yet oddly peaceful. They're dark, and they're lit by green fire that is really pretty. The beds are shaped like coffins and the sheets are red."

"Sounds delightful," Harry noted sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"What do you guys think about the other campers?" I asked.

"Some of them seem nice. That Annabeth girl doesn't seem to like you very much," Ron said.

"It's because they're so similar, I bet," Harry put in. I hated to agree to that.

"Percy seems okay," Ron stated. Harry and I nodded in agreement.

"What about that kid in black?" Harry asked.

"Nico? He's quiet. I don't know much about him. We didn't really talk. He seems like a loner," I said. "There's this one girl, Piper, who has some kind of magic. She is really persuasive. There's something about the way she talks that isn't normal."

"Piper is the daughter of Aphrodite," a voice informed us from the doorway. It was Chiron. "She has the ability to charmspeak, meaning she can talk people into doing things. Come down to the dining pavilion. It's time for breakfast," he told us before he left. We looked at each other before following him.


	5. The Next Prophecy

**So, it's been a while... I should call myself Rick Riordan because of the length between my last updates. *whispers* Now is when you guys laugh...**

 **Sorry about that! I hope you like this chapter and please review.**

* * *

 _ **Annabeth**_

The trio were late to breakfast. Figures. I watched them approach the dining pavilion with Chiron. The three were talking quietly, probably hoping Chiron couldn't hear them. Who the heck were they? Why was Chiron treating them like they belonged here? Hermione was a demigod, but Harry and Ron were obviously not. They were something not quite mortal, but not demigod. I couldn't put my finger on it. As they passed my table on the way to the Hades table, I heard them whisper "horcrux" and "dumbledore". I had no idea what either of those words meant. That was further proof that they weren't normal or demigod. I really needed to talk to Chiron later.

I waited patiently through the meal. For some reason, Chiron let Harry and Ron sit at the Hades table with Annabeth, Nico, and Hazel. I saw them introduce themselves to Hazel. I turned my attention back to my breakfast and didn't talk to anyone the rest of the meal. I thought about my recent quest. More like recent war, actually. I was reminded once again, of the loss of Leo. As much as he annoyed me, he was my friend. And he just disappeared. That poor kid. Why'd it have to end like that? The whole camp missed him- even those who didn't know him very well. I had to force myself not to break down like I had when Leo hadn't showed up. I had tried to keep it all together, but I broke. Leo had become the annoying little brother on the Argo II. I needed to think of something else. Anything else. I forced my thoughts to an idea I had for a house. I hadn't had the chance to sketch it out yet, but it was in my head.

After breakfast, when everyone else started on their daily activities, I hurried over to Chiron before he could talk to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Chiron, we need to talk," I said. He nodded solemnly. "First of all," I began but was interrupted.

"Annabeth, I can only tell you so much. Some information is only for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to share. I'm sorry, but that's how it is." I sighed, a little surprised and hurt. Chiron rarely held information from me, so that meant it was important.

"Maybe if you tried to get along with them, they would tell you," Chiron suggested.

"It's hard to get along with them when something seems off. They're not normal, and they're awfully secretive."

"Probably because they're in a foreign place! You wouldn't spill out your entire life story to complete strangers would you?" I didn't answer, because the answer was no, I would not.

"I am sorry Annabeth. Try to get to know them," Chiron said.

"I'll try. I don't know how well that'll work, but I'll try."

"Chiron?" Harry said from behind me. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Come with me. Hermione, you should participate in the other camp activities, seeing as you are one of them," Chiron instructed. Hermione and her friends exchanged worried glances, and I could tell they were having a silent conversation.

"Annabeth, please show Hermione more of the camp," Chiron ordered. I sighed.

"Yes, sir." Hermione followed me as I walked away from the dining pavilion. Before we could get far, one of the younger campers came sprinting toward us.

"Anna-" he panted, "beth. Rachel- smoke- prophecy," he managed to get out. I paled and my eyes widened. No, no, no. Not another prophecy. With that came a quest. I hoped Percy and I wouldn't have to go on this quest. We've had too much lately. Could we ever get some peace and quiet? I swallowed and turned to Hermione.

"Our Oracle has just given us a prophecy-" She snorted. "What?"

"It's just, I've had bad experiences with prophecies and certain people giving those prophecies," she said.

"Well, here a prophecy means a quest. I could say I've had some trouble with prophecies as well," I told her. "Follow me." I ran up to the Big House with Hermione on my heals. Chiron, Harry, and Ron were already in the rec room where we held our camp counselor meetings. The head counselors were sitting around the table. Not all of them were there yet, but they all filed in eventually. I took a seat between Piper and Percy. Jason was on Piper's other side, and Nico and Hazel were next to him. Clarisse sat a few seats down from Percy, which was good, seeing as they didn't really get along. Rachel was right next to Percy, but she was in a daze. I didn't like her when I first met her because she was into Percy, but now she's one of my best friends. It's weird how that works.

Hermione joined Harry and Ron at the edge of the room. The room quieted down once everyone was in there.

"Why are they here?" Clarisse demanded, looking at the trio.

"They just are. Leave it Clarisse," Piper said. I could hear the charmspeak seeping into her words. Chiron cleared his throat and all talking ceased. Everyone looked at him expectantly. He held out his hand to Rachel, and she placed a piece of paper in it. I guess someone had written down the prophecy as Rachel had delivered it.

 _"Foreigners of three_

 _Shall pass the sacred tree,_

 _And enter a whole new world._

 _With help from the dark god's girl,_

 _Foes and friends unite_

 _To make two worlds right,"_ he read.

"Well it doesn't take a genius to figure out who the 'foreigners of three' are," Percy stated into the silence. Harry, Ron, and Hermione glanced at each other. They did that a lot, I noticed.

"'With help from the dark god's girl'. Oooo that's a tough one," Clarisse said.

"It could also be Hazel," Jason pointed out. Clarisse crossed her arms and leaned back.

"We've heard the whole 'foes uniting' junk before, so it can't mean the Romans," Piper said.

"What 'two worlds' is it talking about?" Miranda Gardiner piped up. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other once again. They obviously knew something, but were choosing to keep it to themselves. I narrowed my eyes at them.

"What do you three know?" I asked, calling attention to them.

"Why would we listen to them?" Clarisse demanded.

"Because they are involved in the prophecy and they obviously know something," I shot back. "Do you three know anything that could help us with this quest?" I asked them. Hermione glanced at Chiron, who subtly nodded. She took a deep breath and spoke.

"You probably won't believe me," she began. Wasn't that a great start. "Harry, Ron, and I know of another world. But there are laws that prevent me from telling you too much. All I can say is, it's not normal, but it's not like the world of Greek gods."

"Wow," Clarisse said, "thank you for enlightening us. I appreciate how much information you gave us." Hermione glared at her.

"Well, the reason I can't say much is because present company can't be trusted," Hermione retorted. "There are more supernatural things going on in this world than you may think." Clarisse rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.

"What are we supposed to do with this?" Hazel asked. "What kind of quest can you send after that prophecy?" Chiron didn't say anything and the room remained silent.

"I need some time to think about this," he said after a while. "Please, go back to your normal activities." People groaned and stood up.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Nico, please stay," Chiron instructed. Once the room emptied, Chiron glanced at the nine of us.

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione. This group of campers can be trusted. I'm not going to force you to share with them, but I think it would be beneficial to the quest at hand," he told the trio. They glanced at each other yet another time. They had another silent conversation. I bet it went something like this:

Hermione: _Can we trust them?_

Ron: _I don't know. They still seem weird to me_.

Harry: _You heard Chiron, it could help. We have to tell them._

Ron: _Are you sure about that?_

Hermione: _I'm really worried, but I guess if it will help, we should tell them._

Ron: _You guys are crazy._

Harry: _Let's tell them._

It was Harry who spoke up this time.

"We're wizards" he said bluntly. "We have magic, and we attended a school of magic in England. It's called Hogwarts. We started when we were eleven."

"Technically, it's in Scotland," Hermione informed. I rolled my eyes, even though I probably would have done the same thing.

But wizards? That's an interesting claim to make.

"Wizards?" Percy asked in disbelief. The trio nodded.

"Prove it," I said. The three of them each took out a stick. They were all a little less than a foot. Ron waved his slightly, which resulted in the table catching on fire. Hermione quickly waved hers as well, and the fire went out. Ron looked down sheepishly. Harry waved his wand and the prophecy that was still on the table flew into his outstretched hand. We looked at them in amazement. It was impressive, I grudgingly admitted.

"So why are you here?" Piper demanded.

"We don't really know," Harry said.

"How'd you get here?" Jason asked.

"We apparated," Ron replied.

"They don't know what that means Ron," Hermione pointed out. "Apparating is disappearing from one place and appearing in another. It takes a while to master it. You have to have a wand, and you have to envision the location you are apparating to in your head," she explained. It was a cool concept, but how did they get here? If you had to imagine the place you were going, then how did they show up on a continent they hadn't intended to travel to? Percy seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

"How did you guys come here, though?" he inquired. The trio shrugged in unison.

"It was a bit odd," Hermione noted. "The image of the alleyway we apparated to just popped into my head. I'd never been to America before. As far as I know, that's not how apparation is supposed to work." I glanced at Chiron. He looked like he had a theory as to how they came here.

"Why'd you guys apparate in the first place?" Hazel asked.

"You'd better sit down," Harry suggested. "This is a long story." He looked at his friends before speaking again. "In our world, there is a war going on."

"You should start from the beginning," Ron said. Harry nodded.

"A little less than two decades ago, there was a different wizarding war going on. There was an evil dark wizard, by the name of Lord Voldemort. He had many followers, and he was very powerful. He had spies in the Ministry."

"The Ministry of Magic is the government in the wizard world," Hermione interjected.

"Voldemort was slowly taking over. He grew more and more powerful. However, one of his spies overheard a prophecy. The prophecy basically said that a child was going to born at the end of July. This child was said to have the power to 'vanquish the Dark Lord.' The prophecy stated that the child was born of parents who defied Voldemort three times. As it turns out, I am the child in that prophecy. One of the lines said that 'neither can live while the other survives.' But Voldemort didn't hear that line. He only heard that there was a possibility of a threat. He chose to eliminate the threat. When I was one year old, Voldemort came to my parent's house." Harry stopped for a moment. He took a deep breath. "He killed my parents so he could get to me. My parents tried to fight him, but my dad didn't have his wand with him. My mum sacrificed herself in hopes that I would live. Of course, Voldemort was sure that he would kill me. The fact that I survived has nothing to do with my magical power. I'm not any better than Hermione and Ron here."

"Oi, don't you start!" Ron exclaimed at the same time Hermione spoke.

"Come off it, Harry. He's just being modest," she said. Harry shook his head as he continued.

"When Voldemort cast the Killing Curse on me, it backfired on him. It gave me this scar." Harry lifted his bangs off of his forehead to reveal a lightning-shaped scar. "He basically became a hollow shell. The reason for that is because he created something called a horcrux. In fact, he created six of them. A horcrux ties a piece of the creator's soul to an object that is of importance or significance to them. In order to split one's soul, they must kill someone. Murdering literally rips your soul.

"After the curse backfired, he fled. He managed to survive for ten years by different methods. When I was eleven, he possessed my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He lived through him. At the end of that school year, he tried to steal this thing called the Sorcerer's Stone. It had the power to create an elixir of life. That story, however, is for another time. The next year, he tried another way to return to full life. He didn't succeed that time either. During our third year, one of Voldemort's servants returned to him. At the time, we didn't see it as a huge threat. But in our fourth year, Voldemort succeeded. He used some ancient magic to do it. His servant, Peter Pettigrew, went through this unnerving ritual to bring Voldemort back." Harry swallowed. The memory was a painful one. "He… he had to use some of my blood. And he had to cut off his own hand." He closed his eyes for a moment. Hermione and Ron looked at him with sympathy.

"I watched Voldemort return. He tried to kill me again that night. I don't really know how I managed to escape. After that night, everything changed. It wasn't quick, but it was happening. People became more solemn and suspecting. Voldemort subtly began recruiting his followers again. Hermione, Ron, and I returned to school for our fifth year. Near the end of that year, we, er, went to the Ministry to save, erm, my godfather." Harry's voice broke for a moment. Hermione momentarily stepped in.

"We were sure that Sirius, Harry's godfather, was there. It turns out, he wasn't. Voldemort had tricked us into going there. He needed Harry to get something from there. He needed the prophecy. In the Ministry, there is this place called the Hall of Prophecy. The prophecy concerning Harry was there, and Voldemort needed it. Only Harry could retrieve it."

"So we fell into his trap," Harry spat bitterly. "We went to the Ministry and endangered our friends. Sirius died there. He died because of me." Hermione placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. My heart softened for them. My original prejudice starting slipping slightly. I suddenly felt empathy for them. I didn't know exactly what they went through, but I understood much of what they felt. I'd been through similar, difficult experiences.

"The next year," Harry continued, "which was last year, I started searching for the horcruxes with our… old headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore had plenty of theories, which proved to be correct. He was truly brilliant. He and I found out more about Voldemort's past. He eventually discovered the place where one of the horcruxes resided. But, after we got back to our school, he was killed." Harry stopped once more. He had dealt with so much tragedy in his life. But I knew from past experience that he didn't need pity. He probably didn't want it either.

"The greatest wizard, in my opinion, was killed by his friend," Harry growled. He was becoming more and more angry. I looked at my friends to see their reactions. Percy had an empathetic expression on his face. Piper was scowling slightly. Jason looked concerned and deeply troubled. Hazel was a little shocked. Nico's expression was impossible to read, like normal.

"He was killed by a man he trusted," Harry snarled. Ron was visibly fuming behind him, and Hermione was equally as livid. "He wanted me to continue his search for the horcruxes so we can actually defeat Voldemort. So that's what Hermione, Ron, and I are doing."

"We know this is a lot to take in right now," Hermione said. "You guys probably need time to process all of this. Just like we need to process your world."

"Speaking of that," Ron added, "will we ever be able to get more information on your world?"

"You will," Chiron promised. "But first, let us talk about your world." Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at us, probably expecting questions. For a moment, none of us spoke. I couldn't find any words. There was a whole _other_ supernatural world? How was so much going on, but people were so oblivious?

"Wow," Percy breathed eventually. "That _is_ a lot."


End file.
